I. General Information
School Name: NIDES
School District: SD#71 Comox Valley
Inquiry Team Members: Gerald Fussell: Gerald.Fussell@sd71.bc.ca
Alissa Pratt: Alissa.Pratt@sd71.bc.ca
Alison Kavaliunas: Alison.Kavaliunas@sd71.bc.ca
Meghan McMillen: Meghan.McMillen@sd71.bc.ca
Inquiry Team Contact Email: Gerald.Fussell@sd71.bc.ca
II. Inquiry Project Information
Type of Inquiry: NOIIE Case Study
Grade Levels Addressed Through Inquiry: Primary (K-3), Intermediate (4-7), Secondary (8-12), Post-secondary
Curricular Areas Addressed: Other: Online learners
Focus Addressed: Other: Improving connections
In one sentence, what was your focus for the year? How do we improve connections to increase student success?
III. Spirals of Inquiry Details
Scanning: Last school year we had our teachers review the Spirals of Inquiry “4 questions for learners”; the “3 questions for us as teachers”; review our values, philosophy, and description statements, the provincial Accountability and Quality Assurance (AQA) Framework; our 3-year plan for supporting Indigenous Students; and our District Strategic Plan. From that review, we had them answer three questions: what is going on for our learners? How do we know? Why does it matter? We took this data and summarized it into key themes.
Focus: Based on our work last year, we know that connections improve student learning and success. We wanted to continue our work in this area with refined focus and developed skills.
Hunch: We believe that with increased connections in a myriad of areas, we will improve student success.
New Professional Learning: We will be taking what we learned from our Inquiry last year and refining our focus areas and our Inquiry Groups. Each of these groups will identify the key areas they need to focus their learning on, and we will support them in doing this.
Taking Action: Each teacher chose an inquiry question within this theme to focus on. Each month, at our staff meetings, they met in small, fluid groups to discuss their progress and learning. They posted responses to guiding questions on our school Padlet. We also hired 4 teachers to lead focused school growth initiatives that were created from last year’s learning and this year’s focus.
Checking: Yes, we made a significant difference and have laid a strong foundation for future direction.
Key Data / Evidence Trends – (Mostly qualitative + some quantitative indicators):
Engagement & Participation
- Increased participation in:
- Discussions, projects, and collaborative work
- Some evidence:
- More students submitting work as communication increases
- Previously disengaged students joining sessions
- Challenges:
- Optional activities often attract already engaged students only
Student Outcomes
- Observed improvements:
- Confidence and willingness to share
- Empathy and conflict resolution
- Creativity and depth of thinking
- Independence and self-advocacy
- Sense of belonging and well-being
Family Engagement Data Patterns
- Positive impact when families are involved in person
- Limited impact when expectations are unclear (e.g., Seesaw posting)
- Persistent group of hard-to-reach families
Online Learning Trends
- Students:
- Prefer 1:1 connection over group Zoom
- Engage more with interactive or creative tasks
- Barriers:
- Attendance at optional sessions
- Communication fatigue
- Assessment & Learning Evidence
- More authentic, individualized work
- Reduced “formulaic” or AI-generated submissions
- Increased reflection on how students learn
Reflections/Advice:
Recommended Next Steps
A. School-Wide Focus Areas
- Strengthen Early-Year Connection Structures
● Mandatory:
○ Student-teacher check-ins
○ Family onboarding sessions
● Establish consistent expectations for:
○ Communication
○ Participation - Refine Communication Systems
● Simplify platforms (reduce overload)
● Gather family communication preferences early
● Establish:
○ Clear expectations for engagement (e.g., Seesaw, updates)
○ Regular check-in schedule - Increase Targeted Supports
● Expand:
○ Small group instruction (literacy, SEL, engagement)
● Earlier identification of:
○ At-risk or disengaged students - Embed SEL & Core Competencies Explicitly
● Teach:
○ Communication skills
○ Conflict resolution
○ Self-regulation
● Use shared language across school - Expand Experiential & Culturally Responsive Learning
● Scale:
○ Land-based learning
○ Indigenous perspectives
○ Community partnerships - Shift Assessment Practices
● Increase:
○ Formative assessment
○ Reflection
○ Inquiry-based projects
● Align assessment to competencies, not task completion - Increase Student Voice & Choice
● Provide:
○ Flexible ways to demonstrate learning
○ Opportunities for creativity and ownership
B. Operational / System Improvements
- Plan for new student intake impacts
- Build protected time for teacher collaboration
- Create shared resources (videos, onboarding tools)
- Develop consistent routines across programs
C. Monitoring & Data
Suggested measurable indicators:
- Student engagement (attendance, submissions)
- Family communication rates
- Student self-assessment (confidence, belonging)
- Participation in connection opportunities
- Completion rates
Key Takeaway
Student connection is the highest-leverage driver of improvement.
Moving Forward
- Prioritize relationships before systems
- Combine:
○ Connection + structure + clarity - Focus on:
○ Early intervention
○ Consistency across programs
○ Equity in engagement